Long-term Collective Student Research Programme (LoCoR)
LoCoR
A co-created model to unlock the untapped potential of student research
In the UK, over 400,000 undergraduate degrees are awarded each year. A project-based dissertation is a common component of many programmes, with a significant proportion addressing urgent STEM and sustainable development challenges. These are areas that require sustained, collective efforts to achieve meaningful impact. However, most of these dissertations are shelved after assessment, representing a long-overlooked goldmine of ideas and insights within higher education.
The Long-term Collective Student Research Programme (LoCoR) seeks to address this challenge by developing a collaborative and iterative model that empowers students to engage meaningfully in research, enriches their project-based learning experience, and fosters inclusive research communities comprising students, supervisors, and wider stakeholders.
LoCoR is a two-year Education Fund initiative that aims to unlock the untapped potential of undergraduate research for long-term, collective, and interdisciplinary collaboration. By embedding this model into existing project-based modules, students will be offered the opportunity to build upon the work of their predecessors, enabling the continuation and advancement of research across cohorts.
The programme will use multiple participating modules as living labs to co-design, pilot, evaluate, and refine the model. The founding modules reflect a diverse range of departments, disciplinary contexts, and approaches to project-based learning at the University of Warwick:
- GD307 GSD Dissertation – School for Cross-faculty Studies
- WM195 Smart Solutions Development – WMG
- ES327 Individual Project – School of Engineering
- A model that offers students the option to build on previous work, advancing research across generations, disciplines, and student cohorts.
- A model co-created by students, supervisors, and broader stakeholders.
- A model that fully considers risks related to ethics, fairness, and data security.
- A model tested, validated, and refined through integration into multiple participating modules.
- Not a one-size-fits-all solution, but a set of adaptable principles, guidelines, and approaches that can be tailored to diverse contexts.